1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device and a method for coating and/or surface modification of objects in a vacuum using a plasma, in which there is the possibility of coating or modifying variform objects on all sides without a large expenditure for plant and process engineering being required. Besides coating or modification, it is also easily possible to conduct cleaning, etching and/or activation to improve, for example, the adhesion of coatings that may be subsequently applied.
Besides the modification of regions of objects that are close to the surface it is also possible by means of the invention to apply particularly microscopically dense metal coatings or compound layers that have low roughness.
The deposition of coatings on objects using a planar direct current magnetron is known from G. Kienel, Vacuum Coating [in German], Volume 2, VD1 Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf, 1993, pp. 160-161.
Such a solution, however, enables the coating of objects that is to be carried out spatially in three dimensions only if the objects are moved at the same time, which can be realized only with great difficulty and at great costs, if at all, especially in the vacuum chambers that are required for this. If such objects have undercut areas, these normally cannot be coated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In addition, harmful effects from residual gases have to be avoided by producing a high vacuum, which either greatly increases the time needed to produce the vacuum, or requires costly vacuum locks or costly high vacuum pumps.
Another disadvantage is that larger surfaces are parasitically coated, which leads to high losses of the coating material, which has an adverse effect in particular for expensive coating materials such as noble metals. In addition, costs for cleaning are higher because of the parasitic coatings in the chamber and the elements found there.
The amount of coating material that can be applied to the corresponding objects is correspondingly limited, so that a relatively frequent interruption of the coating process is necessary for the necessary changeover of the target.
Thus, it is a task of the invention to propose a device and a corresponding method with which surface modification and/or coating of objects of quite various designs on all sides and optionally even on undercut surface regions can be achieved at low cost for plant engineering process engineering and other expenses.